21 killed in suspected drone strikes in Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan July 12, 2011 -- Two suspected U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal region killed 21 alleged militants Tuesday, intelligence officials said.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said one suspected drone fired four missiles, killing 13 people at an alleged militant hideout in the area of Shawal in South Waziristan, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The second strike occurred hours later on another suspected militant hideout in North Waziristan. Eight people were killed, the officials said.

The officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

On Monday, a similar attack killed 10 suspected militants in North Waziristan.

The overwhelming majority of drone strikes have targeted areas in North and South Waziristan. Analysts say the areas are havens for militants fueling the insurgencies in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The United States does not comment on suspected drone strikes. But it is the only country in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from drones -- which are controlled remotely.

Afghan governor targeted on his way to the funeral

Kabul, Afghanistan - Two blasts went off Wednesday as the governor of Helmand province was headed to Kandahar to take part in the funeral for President Hamid Karzai's half-brother.

The remotely-detonated mine explosions in Kandahar's Maivand district wounded two soldiers but the Helmand governor, Mohammad Gulab Mangal, was unhurt.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Kandahar provincial council chief, was killed Tuesday by a guard during a gathering at his house a day prior.

He was laid to rest Wednesday, with the president in attendance.

Saidkhan Khakrezwal, a member of the Kandahar provincial council, mentioned that he and others were with Karzai when a guard named Sardar Mohammad came into the room and asked to talk to him.

The guard then "takes Wali to another room and shoots him with a pistol that he had in his hand," Khakrezwal said. The shooter was shot dead by other guards.

Sardar Mohammad was a trusted man who had worked as a guard for Karzai for eight years, Khakrezwal said. He was also a commander for a police post where there were about 30 policemen.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying that the guard accused of shooting him was working for them.

Karzai suffered bullet wounds to his head and chest, said Mohammad Dawood Farhad, the head of Kandahar Hospital."My brother Ahmad Wali Karzai was killed today, the Afghanistan people have suffered a lot. Every Afghan family has suffered. I hope one day these sufferings end ." said the Afghan president in a previously scheduled news conference with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Space shuttle Atlantis in historic final lift-off

The 135th and final space shuttle mission has lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

United States, Florida: Space shuttle Atlantis was launched into history at 1529 GMT on Friday, 8^TH July. This 12-day mission will ship 3.5 tonnes of supplies to the International Space Station. Upon its return, the 30-year space shuttle programme will come to a close, with Atlantis and the other two shuttles retired to museums. For many days in the past week, a launch was highly unlikely. The weather on Thursday had thrown torrential rain at the orbiter, and forecasters had been talking grimly of similar conditions developing on Friday. But like it was predicted it did not shower and controllers in the "firing room" gave the "go" for the ascent after a positive poll from their ground teams. Launch director Mike Leinbach told the Atlantis crew - Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim - to "have a little fun up there" with "a true American icon". Leinbach's call encouraged a huge cheer from the thousands of guests inside the Kennedy Space Center and they rushed to grab the best viewing spot.Many were lined the tops of buildings around Kennedy Space Center; others went down by the famous countdown clock on the lawn in front of the press complex. For a few moments, everyone was disappointment when the count was suddenly stopped at 31 seconds to check equipment on the launch pad which would not obstruct a clean get away by the orbiter. But once it was safe, the count picked up again and Atlantis soon raced skyward.The spectators inside Kennedy Space Center, and the hundreds of thousands gathered outside the centre, did not see the shuttle climb for long. Within a minute she disappeared through the clouds for the chase out over the Atlantic and a rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday. The ship and her crew will spend seven days docked at the orbiting platform. The goals of the spaceship include delivering a huge load of food to the International Space Station. Frank Bruni, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, compared the end of the space shuttle program to the end of America's sense of discovery, and the feeling that anything is possible: "The program's end carries the force of cruel metaphor, coming at a time when limits are all we talk about. When we have no stars in our eyes."

When dreams come alive.....

(Opinionated as well as a travel piece)

Kaziranga National Park

My fascination for this forest found its roots way back when I was doing a project on Assam in my 8^th standard. Everywhere I looked, researched, it was mentioned that this was the only premise that had ‘one-horned rhinos’ in great numbers. Little did I know that five years later I would actually go and visit them.

In the wee hours of the morning we set off in the forest for our first ever elephant safari of the day. We were excited! It was still dark and the usual jokes, about how we wouldn’t be able to see a thing and how it would be even difficult for us to capture them on camera, were passed around. Soon we were divided in groups of six and made to sit on our respective elephants. It was a bumpy ride. But very thrilling indeed. The grass in the forest were tall and wet with dew. They brushed our legs as we passed through the depths of the forest to see the Rhinos. It was within no time that we found our first ‘One horned Rhino’. A baby Rhino. Alone, probably grazing. Flashes on the camera were not allowed and there were usual grunts and groans about how the each attempt of taking a picture failed as the outcome was blurred or too dark! Blurred, because the elephants wouldn’t stop, making it almost impossible for us to take a still image.

Dawn broke out and the receding mist enabled a clear vision. We saw a Mother Rhino and a baby rhino together. It was a pleasant sight. The forest was tranquil, soothing. We clicked a lot of pictures on the way of our friends having awkward moments on the elephant.

Among the Rhinos one could easily spot Indian Muntjacs , swamp deer. Hog deer and also the Sambar in the forest. Wild Water Buffaloes were spotted among the tall grasses too. A little further into the forest we looked like hunters ready with our weapons( in the form of cameras) to get one perfect shot of the Rhino! Looking around us we did find many such opportunities to capture them. We later came across Brahmaputra river that divided the National Park into two. Here we had the utmost pleasure of seeing Rhinos bathe while Lesser White-fronted Goose birds sat on their backs. The Black-Necked Stork was another common bird that we could sight there. Dalmatian Pelican was also a very prominent bird that was seen riding on the Rhino’s back. Although why these birds ride the Rhino’s back is still an unsolved mystery. An occasional bird sweeping by, catching a fish in its long beak from the river water was a thrilling view.

Finally the Elephant Safari ended with snacks and hot tea at the exit. Overall the small safari felt like a long movie where we played the role of a hunter, hunting down animals and birds of the forest to get their shots in our cameras! But nevertheless a movie we left, feeling really calm and content to witness the vast creation of God!

Next stop. quirky bliss!

Mumbai, Andheri: In the midst of a busy street, where one would least expect it to be , is the very garish two storied, Bliss Store. If you are someone who is peppy, loves colors and is into contemporary designer décor than this place is for you.

The yellow and blue walls of the store do justice to the quirky atmosphere one is welcomed with. The Bliss carnival which recently took place, last weekend, saw young budding designers showcasing their quirky bit. A toilet shaped ash tray to a butterfly shaped wall hanger, a bucket turned into a well cushioned stool to a big square printed bean bag, one could easily find the most unusual home furniture here. It was clear that designers in their own way had tried to depict the new, loud and ‘hinglish’ speaking generation. A hand bag saying ‘kuch bhi’ (whatever), a shot glass saying ‘glass humara, daaru tumhara’ (my glass, your booze) and batches saying ‘ayi lowee u’ (I love you) are just among the few things that makes one want to buy the whole store off, lest the next time you enter all the stuff gets upgraded and out of stock.

For those who have looked all over the city for their favorite band t-shirts, your search ends here. Bliss in collaboration with ‘Bombay Merch’ has launched t-shirts with the well-known musicians and actors printed on them. Pink Floyd, ACDC, Batman, you name it and they’ll have it. In all sizes too. One can also find the brand ‘Paperwalla Art’ which showcases 3D art with paper and uses irony as their USP.

One could walk into the store gloomy and sad but it is assured that no one leaves the store without a bagful of whacky goodies and happiness on their faces. Truly blissful!

Nariman house, a tragedy.

MOSHE - NEW HARRY POTTER?

Nariman House, also known as Chabad House to the Jewish community, was among the buildings attacked by terrorists in Mumbai on the night of November 26, sometime between 9.30 – 9.45pm. Unlike the other iconic buildings that came under attack, Nariman House was relatively unknown to the rest of the world, apart from the Jewish community. Chabad Houses are homes away from homes for Jews travelling abroad or within the US., and also places to celebrate Hanukkah, Passover or weekly Shabbat dinners.This house was run by a young couple, Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, 29, and his 28-year-old wife, Rivka.

Chabad Houses can be found in many countries and Nariman House was just one such house, a simple six-storey building in a humble neighborhood of Mumbai, which came under attack. This is the first instance of Jews being attacked on Indian soil – the attack came from foreign nationals on Indian soil from members of LeT – a terrorist group based in Pakistan.

The two terrorists, from a group of ten who touched the shores of Mumbai in inflatable boats, walked to Nariman House. It was a ten minute walk from the point where they arrived. Moving quickly once they got there, they threw a bomb at the petrol station close by, and entered the Nariman House. The Rabbi and his wife were strangled and five others shot. The six hostages, all Israelis, were killed very early into the attack on the night of November 26. The seventh life lost was that of an NSG commando. The young couple’s toddler son Moshe, was soon to celebrate his second birthday on Saturday. His life was saved by his Christian nanny Sandra Samuel, who had worked at the centre for years. Sandra was hiding in the floor below, when she heard Moshe crying. She ran upstairs, found him crying beside his parent’s bodies, picked him up and ran out of the centre. This was Thursday morning, hours after the terrorists first entered Nariman House. Sandra remains unavailable for any comment. But having talked to others who live in the house, they say that. 26/11 was one horrid day in their lives that they could never forget. The Holtzbergs moved to Mumbai in 2003, to open and run the Nariman House in the city. Neighbors describe them as a warm and a friendly couple. Their home in this Colaba neighborhood became a popular destination among Jewish tourists.

The couple’s older son is gravely ill with a congenital disease, in an Israeli hospital, and Moshe, the two-year-old is now parentless. He turned two on Saturday, November 29, 2008. The images of an inconsolable Moshe, will be etched in ones mind. He is now in Israel with his nanny Sandra, and his grandparents.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of what transpired during 26/11 and the two days after it, a mob had gathered outside this house to commemorate the lives of the innocent. Till date the burning candle for the dead brings tears in the eye of anyone who cares enough to look. Moshe’s life is this burning hope, that one day he would try and find justice.

A fallen Nation.

Tunisia was in a state of turmoil when the prime minister Zine El Abiidine Ben Ali fled due to public protest after a rein of about 23yrs. The protest was carried out due to major distress amongst the citizens! The protest led to citizens shouting slogans on the streets carrying placards and throwing dummy bombs. Lawyers were in the forefront of this mass revolution. Amidst gun battles and bombs one could hear cries of pain,sorrow and loss. The Tunis military attempt to root out armed civilians were all in vain creating even more chaos on the streets! The military was said to be attempting to corner about 3,000 to 6000 Ben Ali’s well armed Presidential Guards still running free. Local offices,buildings,hotels have all been locked up and a no-holds barred battle had been declared on the militia.

In India a similar revolution had brought about its independence almost 60yrs back. Public protest, disagreement etc had put the country to a major war for the love of land and rein. A revolution like this is inevitable in the future and a public protest can overthrow a tyrannical government, of this Tunisia is an iconic example.