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Thu Nov 27, 2008 at 13:00:00 PST
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The Guardian reports Terrorist gunmen are holed up in Mumbai hotels. "About 10 to 12 gunmen remain holed up with hostages inside two Mumbai hotels and a Jewish centre, a top Indian general said today. Major General RK Huda told New Delhi Television that the rest of the gunmen appeared to have been killed or captured." 125 people have been killed and more than 325 wounded.
The Hindu reports the Indian Army rushes in reinforcements ahead of "final push". "The Army personnel, forming part of the present deployment of around five columns in terror-hit south Mumbai areas, has got a boost with the arrival of the fresh batch from Pune and Nashik... 'The flushing out operations at these hotels, being undertaken jointly with National Security Guards (NSG) may be over sooner than expected were it not for our endeavour to ensure that there is no collateral damage,' the sources said."
The NY Times updates an account, reporting that Indian forces take command of two posh hotels. "Indian commandos scoured through the flame and wreckage of two posh hotels Thursday, searching for survivors and battling bands of gunmen who unleashed two days of chaos here in India's commercial capital. A third group of gunmen, the remnants of well-organized squads of attackers, remained holed up in a Jewish community center."
The LA Times reports Al Qaeda is just one suspect in India terrorist attacks. "Experts cautioned that it was too early to fix responsibility for the coordinated attacks that killed dozens of people at a pair of luxury hotels, two hospitals, a train station and an upscale restaurant. They said the group that claimed responsibility, the Deccan Mujahedin, was unknown."
Four at Four continues with updates from Iraq and Afghanistan, food prices, and Barack Obama's transition. |
| Magnifico :: Four at Four |
The NY Times reports the Iraqi Parliament approves the security pact with the United States. The agreement "lays out a three-year timetable for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq." The pact passed with 140 voting for its acceptance of the 200 Iraqi lawmakers present. The parliament has 275 seats.
The pact, which took more than a year to negotiate, consists of two documents: a Status of Forces Agreement defining the rules under which American forces will operate, and a wider Strategic Framework Agreement outlining a broad bilateral view looking toward the future.Within minutes of the ratification, the American Embassy in Baghdad issued a joint statement of congratulation from Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno, the overall commander of American forces in Iraq... The agreement was opposed to the end by legislators belonging to the political bloc of the anti-American Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.
On the final day, they disrupted proceedings during the reading of the agreement by banging on their desks and shouting, "Yes, yes to Iraq; no, no to the occupier," and "No, no to the agreement." The Sadrists held a news conference in the Parliament building immediately after the vote, many of them wearing black sashes used by Shiites to indicate mourning. The LA Times reports In Afghanistan, car bomb kills four near U.S. Embassy.
A suicide car bomber set off a powerful blast today near the gates of the U.S. Embassy, killing at least four Afghan civilians and injuring more than a dozen others.Weaving in and out of morning rush-hour traffic near one of Kabul's busiest traffic circles, the bomber's Toyota Corolla struck several other cars before exploding, witnesses said. It was not clear whether the bomber was attempting to strike at a NATO convoy in the area, trying to get close to one of the embassy's heavily fortified entrances, the nearest of which was about 200 yards away, or intended simply to wreak havoc in a crowded commercial area.
According to the Washington Post, "It was the first major suicide attack inside Kabul in five months." The NY Times reports despite the falling prices of fuel and commodities, Food prices are expected to keep going up. "The Agriculture Department is forecasting that food prices will increase 3.5 to 4.5 percent in 2009, compared with an estimated 5 to 6 percent increase by the end of this year."
Government and industry economists project that the overall cost of food will continue to climb in 2009, led by increases for meat and poultry. A big reason, they say, is that food companies still have not caught up with the prolonged run-up in commodity prices, which remain above historical averages despite coming down from their highs early this year.
Some forecasters project even steeper increases in food prices for 2009. The LA Times reports Barack Obama has a head start on working with Congress.
Democrats may try to pass an economic stimulus bill before Obama takes office Jan. 20, and have it on his desk to sign immediately. Typically, a new Congress spins its wheels for weeks while awaiting the arrival of a new president after convening in early January."We don't intend to stumble into the next administration," Obama said this week. "We are going to hit the ground running. We're going to have clear plans of action." To that end, emissaries of the president-elect are meeting with every congressional committee chair. Emanuel, who will be Obama's chief of staff, has been dispatched to the Capitol. And Obama, who is running the transition from his home base in Chicago, has been working the phones... The incoming administration also has made an effort to reach across the aisle. Emanuel met with House and Senate Republican leaders last week. Obama has consulted with Republican lawmakers about his economic plans.
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