India Blames Pakistan State Actors in Mumbai Suicide Attack

NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram has reiterated that Pakistani state actors were involved in Mumbai terror attacks.

In an interview to Indian television Indian minister called Pakistan stand with regard to Mumbai attacks misplaced and demanded handing over of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed Zarrar Shah to India to be tried under terror charges.

Chidambaram claimed that 10 persons were involved in planning of attacks on Mumbai and at least one of them was a state actor. He alleged Pakistan hiding the state actors in the case.

Replying a question Indian Home Minister said two Indian citizens were also involved in terror strikes including Abu Jindal. Another Indian not yet identified, he said adding that the Indian government have no sufficient evidence to arrest Abu Jindal.

Indian Can Be Involved in 26/11 Mumbai Attacks: HM Chidambaram

NEW DELHI : Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram has indicated for the first time that an Indian citizen might be involved in Mumbai attacks.

During an interview with an Indian TV channel, he said that voice samples of the suspect from Pakistan were essential to conclusively establish the identity of Abu Jindal, who is suspected to the Indian handler.

“There was a handler in 26/11 whom we have known for long, or suspected for a long time, could be an Indian.”

Jindal is one of the alleged masterminds of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. It is believed that his real name could be Syed Zabiuddin Ansari.

Chidambaram will travel to Pakistan for a regional meeting this month, a visit that may lay the ground for improving ties which deteriorated after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Teenage Suicide Trend in Mumbai is Alarming

Mumbai: Latest news updates, A writer once said that more than one soul dies in a suicide.

It seems so in Neha Sawant’s home. The atmosphere in the tiny flat in Mumbai has been lifeless since the 11-year-old was found hanging from her apartment window.

It has been weeks but her parents are still in deep shock. They look dazed and sleep-deprived.

Neha’s distraught grandmother said in a broken voice: “Our brains are not working. We still cannot believe it.”

Neha, at 11, must be one of the youngest in Mumbai to commit suicide. Figures suggest that more and more teenagers in India’s financial hub are killing themselves.

Inexplicably, teenage suicides have become an almost daily occurrence in Maharashtra – one of India’s most developed states – and its capital Mumbai (Bombay).

The toll of teenage suicides from the beginning of the year until 26 January 2010 stood at 32, which is more than one a day.

While there are no comparative figures for the same period in 2009, there is a consensus among the concerned authorities in Mumbai that teenage suicides are spiraling out of control.

There is also a general agreement between psychologists and teachers that the main reason for the high number of teenagers taking their own lives is the increasing pressure on children to perform well in exams.

The scale of this largely preventable problem is dizzying – both in India with its billion-plus people and particularly in the state of in Maharashtra.

More than 100,000 people commit suicide in India every year and three people a day take their own lives in Mumbai.

Suicide is one of the top three causes of death among those aged between 15 and 35 years and has a devastating psychological, social and financial impact on families and friends.

World Health Organisation Assistant Director-General Catherine Le Gals-Camus points out more people die from suicide around the world than from all homicides and wars combined.

“There is an urgent need for coordinated and intensified global action to prevent this needless toll. For every suicide death there are scores of family and friends whose lives are devastated emotionally, socially and economically,” she says.

In Mumbai the authorities are so alarmed by the scale of the problem that they have began a campaign, Life is Beautiful, which aims to help students cope with academic pressure.

Psychologists visit government schools in Mumbai once a week to train teachers dealing with students’ problems.

Sharadashram Vidyamandir school boasts illustrious alumni such as cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. It has been holding parent-teacher assemblies where parents can receive tips on tackling the pressures children face.

And yet such sessions could not prevent 12-year-old Shushant Patil’s death. He was found hanging in the school toilet on 5 January.

Mangala Kulkarni is the principal of the girls’ section of the school. She says that ultimately families need to be more proactive when it comes to stopping students from feeling stressed.

“The children don’t realise they have more avenues than academic successes. They need to be made to realise this by their families from childhood,” she said.

A helpline in Mumbai, called Aasra, has been operating for several years to tackle the problem.

The director of the helpline, Johnson Thomas, says the problems today’s children face are manifold: “They have peer pressure, they have communication problems with their parents, broken relationships, academic pressure and fear of failure,” he says.

The home ministry estimates that for every teenage suicide in Mumbai there are 13 failed attempts.

One theory behind the recent rise is the influence of a recently released Bollywood blockbuster, Three Idiots, which has a scene where an engineering student is shown committing suicide after a mediocre exam result.

The film’s impact has been debated and scrutinised in prime time television shows, with many directly blaming it for adding to the problem.

But Mumbai clinical psychologist Rhea Timbekar argues that it would be wrong to blame the film, which she says strives to explain that parents should not put too much pressure on their children.

Ms Timbekar says that she recently met a child who had not eaten for four days.

The child’s parents said they were upset with him because he only got 89% in exams and stood third in the class, compared to coming first in previous years.

“Such parents need to be counseled,” she asserts.

Ms Timbekar said that another explanation for the high teenage suicide rate was “copycat suicides” where children read about suicides in newspapers and decide to do the same thing themselves.

The breakdown of India’s traditional family system is also being blamed for the problem. In a city like Mumbai – where it is common for both parents to work – children tend to become reclusive and watch too much television.

Dilip Panicker argues that there is a simple solution.

Pakistan, India Should Not be Hostage Incident In Mumbai, PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan and India cannot afford war and all controversial issues could be resolved through composite dialogue.

In an interview to Indian channel, PM Gilani said Pakistan is too busy in war against terror and has nothing do with the incidents happened in held Kashmir.

Replying to a question, Premier Gilani said Pakistan needs more information about Hafiz Saeed and Mumbai attacks. He said no final decision has been made about sending Pakistani hockey team in world cup.

Neha Dalvi, New Face of Mumbai

Mumbai News: Neha Dalvi a new beauty face from Mumbai, India. Neha Dalvi is ready to compete in Miss India 2010? Now she is compared with her beauty and attire with Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Neha Dalvi has done many endorsement with many brands. She has won many best female model awards in many colleges. She will be seen in her forth coming Bollywood Movies with big banners. Neha Dalvi is seen in the famous hoarding of Seasons Saree showroom which was a hit all over. So now here are 9 gorgeous pics from her exclusive photoshoot, right here with us at emailbookmarking blog. Enjoy!!

Chicago Suspect in Terror Plot Danish, Assault Denied Bail in Mumbai

CHICAGO news updates: A Chicago businessman accused of helping plot an attack on a Danish newspaper and having such close ties to terrorists that he had advance knowledge of the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege was denied bail Tuesday.
“The government has met its burden of showing serious risk of flight,” Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan said as she ordered Tahawwur Hussain Rana held in jail pending trial.

Rana has been charged with helping David Coleman Headley — an old friend from military — plot an attack on the Danish newspaper that published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

On Monday prosecutors also alleged that Rana knew of the 2008 deadly terror attacks in Mumbai days before they occurred, and sent his compliments to the man who planned the bloody 60-hour siege which left 166 dead and hundreds wounded.

While Rana has not been charged in that case, prosecutors have said Headley is cooperating and that the investigation in Rana’s conduct “continues.”

Prosecutors allege that the two men discussed both plots in a secretly recorded conversation and that Rana helped Headley use Rana’s Chicago-based immigration company as a cover for his surveillance trips to India and Denmark.

It was also revealed by prosecutors on Monday that the pair had discussed four other potential targets for attacks: Bollywood, the Indian temple Somnath, the National Defense College in Delhi, and the Shiv Sena, a political party in India with roots in Hindu nationalism.

“It is clear from the conversation and extrinsic corroboration that Rana was told just days before the Mumbai attacks that the attacks were about to happen,” prosecutors wrote in a 10-page memo in support of his continued detention.

Rana’s lawyers maintain he was simply “duped” by Headley and had no knowledge of or involvement in, any terror attacks.

They said evidence from three character witnesses shows that the Pakistani-born Canadian citizen has developed a reputation in Chicago as an honest businessman who advocates non-violence.

Defense attorney Patrick Blegen attacked the government’s contention that Rana was briefed on the Mumbai attack shortly after visiting the Indian capital in November 2008.

“They’re saying he knew about some terrorist plan and took his wife along on some sort of jaunt,” Blegen told the court. “I say that’s absurd.”

Blegen said government transcripts of the conversation recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation were “as much unintelligible as they are intelligible” and do not prove that Rana knew anything.

Asked by reporters if he was concerned about what Headley might tell investigators, Blegen said “If he’s cooperating he may not be telling the truth.”

While Nolan limited her ruling to whether Rana posed a flight risk, she disagreed with Blegen’s interpretation of the evidence.

“The defense’s argument that the evidence will show Mr. Rana was duped is not a fair reading of the evidence revealed to date,” Nolan said.

Rana has the “means and knowledge to flee internationally, he has substantial financial resources and international contacts,” Nolan said in announcing her ruling.

“There are no conditions of release that would reasonably ensure his appearance.”

Blegen told reporters that he and his client had hoped Nolan would deem house arrest, electronic surveillance and a high bond sufficient.

“In light of the circumstances his spirits are good,” Blegen told reporters after meeting with Rana.

“Obviously he’s disappointed, as am I but he is as I am very much looking forward to contesting these charges when we have the opportunity to in court.”

Prosecutors have until January 14 to convince a grand jury to indict Rana on the charges.

Three Arrested with Suspected Uranium in Mumbai

MUMBAI news updates: Navi Mumbai crime branch has arrested three people from Panvel for being in possession of a chemical looking substance that is suspected to be uranium.

The material has been seized and sent to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for further analysis.

The trio was arrested on Monday evening and as much as 5 kilograms of the material was seized from them.

PM Asks World to Pressure Pakistan Attackers 26/11

Washington: news update, Warning of “phenomenal consequences” if the advance of terrorists in Pakistan was not controlled, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the world community to pressurise Islamabad to do much more to bring to book those responsible for the “horrible” 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
“We don’t want Pakistan to fail and emergence of democracy in Pakistan is something we welcome,” he said at the Council on Foreign Relations, a leading US think tank Monday. “But at the same time we have to recognise that there are forces at work in Pakistan that are with terrorists.”

“At least until now they were active only in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Now I think they hold direct on grip in several parts of mainland Pakistan.

“If that process is not controlled, it has I think phenomenal consequences for the security and stability of Pakistan as well as our own security,” he added.

Asked if he regretted not taking the military option in retaliation against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the prime minister said he resisted enormous pressure at that time “and I think the decision that I took was balanced and right decision”.

“As regards future, I hate to speculate and sincerely hope that that sort of eventuality does not arise,” Manmohan Singh said. “And that’s why I believe world community has an obligation to impress upon Pakistan that it must use all its influence to curb the power of terrorist groups.”

The prime minister said Pakistan had done something to control the activities of Taliban terrorist groups in FATA, but “it has not acted as it should have acted in bringing the terrorists elements who are using their territory to target our country”.

Nor has Pakistan used all its machinery to bring to book all those murderers and those who perpetrated the horrible crime in Mumbai, he said, urging the world community to pressurise Pakistan to bring to book all those who are responsible for it.

There was now impeccable evidence that the conspiracy was planned in Pakistan with the active connivance of people still roaming about freely in Pakistan, he said. “Therefore I respectfully respect the world community to use all its influence on powers that be in Pakistan to desist from this sort of behaviour.”

Shilpa Shetty Copies Aishwarya On her Wedding Day

MUMBAI, News Update: Bollywood beauty Shilpa Shetty, who recently tied the knot with her NRI beau Raj Kundra, looked stunning in a red designer lehenga-saree on her wedding day. But, a look at her reminded one of Aishwarya Rai’s.
From the jewellery to the hairdo, Shilpa looked similar to Ash in all respects. While it was designer Neeta Lulla for Aishwarya on her D-Day, Shilpa Shetty zeroed in on her good friend Tarun Tahiliani. Ash adorned with Kundan jewellery had worn a golden saree on her wedding day. Shilpa too sported Kundan jewellery to go with her bright red saree. Similarities or no similarities, both the brides looked their best.

Manmohan Says Willing to Resolve Kashmir Dispute

WASHINGTON News Update: India has enduring civilizational links with Afghanistan. India will continue to assist Afghanistan in building its institutions and its human resources.
With these two sentences, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday threw down the gauntlet to Washington, Islamabad and perhaps even Beijing and other world capitals that India would not be budged from pursuing its interests in Afghanistan — primarily of preventing the country from turning toxic under Pakistan’s malignant influence and American uncertainty.

He said we are ready to settle all disputes with Pakistan including Jammu and Kashmir row.

“The road to peace on Afghanistan will be long and hard. But given the high stakes involved, the commitment of the international community must be sustained by firm resolve and unity of purpose.”

Singh told Washington’s top policy wonks gathered to hear him at the Center for Foreign Relations, amid a continuing review by President Obama about U.S options in Afghanistan.

The remarks were clearly meant for the US President and his principals who have been bashing heads for several weeks now over next steps in Afghanistan amid charges of dithering on the crucial issue. Singh’s advice ahead of his meeting with Obama on Tuesday — Stay the course; we are going to be there.

Singh offered similar advice in an earlier address to US and Indian business leaders that the international community needs to remain engaged in Afghanistan and any “premature talk of exit will only embolden the terrorists.”

On the eve of the first anniversary of the Mumbai carnage, Singh also told the elite gathering, many of them regional experts keen to see India talking to Pakistan, that “for that to happen Pakistan must make a break with the past, abjure terrorism and come to the table with good faith and sincerity.”

He said his government had invested heavily in normalizing relations with Pakistan and “we are ready to pick up the threads of the dialogue including on issues relating Jammu and Kashmir.”

“We should not harbour any illusions that a selective approach to terrorism , tackling it on one place while ignoring it in others, will work,” Singh added.

Clearly, the Prime Minister too has taken a tough stand in the past few days on Pakistan even as Islamabad as reverted to its maximalist position on Kashmir, falling back on the long-lapsed UN Security Council resolution on the subject. The Prime Minister’s conditional offer of talks followed remarks in a television interview over the weekend in which he despaired about who to talk to in shifty Islamabad, where the civilian dispensation seemed to be overwhelmed by the country’s military.

Even on the nuclear issue, a confident Singh indicated India would not be overawed or intimidated by the Obama administration’s non-proliferation initiatives, welcoming talks on fissile material cut off treaty and while steering clear of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Much of what he said before the policy gathering seemed preparatory to his meeting with the US President tomorrow, their first bilateral encounter.

Singh showed the mildest sign of movement in New Delhi’s stand in the climate change talks saying India will not compromise the right of developing countries to develop and lift their populations out of property, but “we will do more if there is global support in terms of financial resources and technology transfer.”

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