Mumbai Eager to Bounce Back After Deadly Terror Attack

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Residents and businesses in the Indian city of Mumbai, say they are eager to return to normal following the bloody three-day siege that killed nearly 200 people and turned the city into a battle zone. Raymond Thibodeaux has this report from Mumbai where many people are displaying open defiance of the terrorists.

A girl pays tribute as people light candles to pay respectS to those who were killed in terror attacks in Mumbai, India, 30 Nov 2008

This is Leopold Café, it was among the first targets in the Mumbai attacks that brought this vibrant port city of 14 million people to a standstill for three terrifying days.

Shortly after the gunfire ended, the cafe re-opened its doors for business. But for now, it appears reporters and curiosity seekers outnumber regular customers.

The owner of the cafe, Farhang Jehani, says two of his waiters were among the 10 people killed when his shop came under attack by the terrorists. He says he has re-opened his shop as a show of defiance.

"We are Mumbaikers. Our spirit is strong. And we want to show them that we will not be bowed down by terrorists, or by fear. We are definitely looking for a brighter future," said Jehani.

Later in the afternoon, it was the Mumbai police not the terrorists who forced Jehani to close his cafe, declaring it a crime scene.

It is only a three-minute walk from here to the back entrance of the Taj, the luxury hotel that became the attackers' next target and where they made their final stand.

Near the Taj, many of the hotel workers waited outside the management office, most of them hoping to find out when, or if, they can return to work.

Elsewhere in the city, many of the shops along the attackers' path of mayhem were open. Maybe not so much out of defiance as out of necessity. People need to get back to work and many say they want their city to get back to normal.

This is Mumbai's main rail station, where the attacks began. It too is open, as are many of the shops within it.

There is a heavy police presence. Normally, a 100,000 people come through on any given day. Now, the traffic is light, even for a Sunday.

Still, in the main waiting area is the Re-Fresh café. It still bears scars from the attack. There are more than a dozen bullet holes in its thick glass panels, including two in the shop's pastry display. But the shop is open for business, a sign of the city's resilience.

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Bush Offers Support For Mumbai Investigation

U.S. President George Bush is pledging full support for the investigation into the terrorist attack in Mumbai that killed roughly 175 people in India's financial capital. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush is keeping in direct contact with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

President George W. Bush makes a statement on the attacks in Mumbai, on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, 29 Nov 2008

President Bush called Prime Minister Singh on Sunday. It was their second conversation since the Mumbai attack began to unfold on Wednesday.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe says Mr. Bush underscored his full support for the investigation into the attack. He says the president assured the prime minister that the U.S. will provide all necessary resources and will work with the international community to bring those responsible for the bloodshed to justice.

Meanwhile, the terrorist attack half a world away dominated the news interview programs that air every Sunday on American television.

On ABC's This Week, Richard Lugar - the senior Republican on the Senate Relations Committee - noted that India has linked the Mumbai terrorists to elements in Pakistan. He stressed the need for high-level diplomacy to deal with escalating tensions in the region.

"I am confident that there is a good opportunity at this point for the Indians and Pakistanis to understand that the dissident group that probably caused this could cause harm to both of them," said Senator Lugar.

Appearing on the same program, Democrat Jack Reed, a member of Senate Armed Services Committee, was asked about pressure from inside India on the government to do something to stop militants from crossing over from Pakistan. He said India is keeping a close watch on the next steps taken by the Pakistani leadership.

"I think they are looking for some tangible signs from the Pakistanis, not just rhetorical flourishes - tangible signs that they are going to take effective action," said Senator Reed.

The Pakistani Ambassador to the United States - Husain Haqqani - told CNN's Late Edition that his country has condemned the Mumbai attack and is on the same side as India and the United States in combating terrorism.

"And I don't think we will leave any stone unturned in helping with the investigation or dealing with any individual or group that might have connection with it as long as we have evidence against them," said Husain Haqqani.

Haqqani stressed that while the terrorists in this case may have lived or trained in Pakistan that does not mean there was any official sanction of their acts. He said Pakistan has also been a victim of terrorism, and it is time for Pakistanis and Indians to work together to deal with a common threat.

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Laura Bush Urges Continued US Support for Afghanistan

U.S. First Lady Laura Bush says the United States must remain engaged in Afghanistan - and she is vowing to remain involved in efforts to help Afghan women long after her husband's term in office ends. We have more from VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson.

First Lady Laura Bush (File)

Mrs. Bush has used the White House spotlight to focus attention on the plight of the women and girls of Afghanistan.

She says there has been progress since she took up the cause - not long after the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States. But she concedes there have been setbacks too, noting the recent attack on a group of Afghan girls in Kandahar who were disfigured with acid as they walked to school.

"The really good news is the people who did it have been arrested. There is an Afghan police force now and an Afghan army that are building up to be able to protect the people of Afghanistan internally like we all want them to. And there are many, many signs of progress," she said.

During an appearance on American television, Mrs. Bush talked at length about her hopes for Afghanistan. She made clear she believes the stakes are high, and stressed America must stay involved.

"Most people in Afghanistan want to be able to build their country, live a decent life and not be afraid of a terrorist attack. And the fact is we just need to keep working with them so they can do it," said Mrs. Bush.

The First Lady told NBC's Meet the Press program that she intends to remain involved in the cause after she leaves the White House, mainly through the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council at Georgetown University, and an institute being established at her husband's presidential library.

Also appearing on Meet the Press was the Afghan Ambassador to the United States, Said Jawad, who echoed the need for long term U.S. support. He was asked about the inroads Taliban militants have been able to make in rural parts of Afghanistan.

"What my government needs is more resources to deliver services to provide protection to our people. In many areas where there is lack of delivery of the services because of the lack of human capital on the part of the Afghan people, or the shortage of resources, the Taliban are making a comeback. They do not provide a vision for the future of the country," said Jawad.

Jawad was then questioned about the possibility of talks between the elected Afghan government and elements of the Taliban. He said the intent is to stop the cycle of revenge and violence.

"We will not share power with them. We will not compromise on the values of the Afghan constitution. But if they realize there is no future for them in Afghanistan through military operations, they will come to the table and talk to us," he added.

He said there are some members of the Taliban who joined simply out of ignorance, or to escape poverty. He suggested they might be convinced to join the political process.

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Obama to Name Hillary Clinton Top US Diplomat

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to name his former rival Hillary Clinton as his nominee for Secretary of State on Monday.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Harrisburg, PA, 21 Nov 2008

Mr. Obama will also announce other members of his national security team during a press conference in Chicago Monday morning. He is expected to keep Robert Gates as defense secretary and name retired Marine General Jim Jones as national security advisor.

Mr. Obama and Senator Clinton competed for the Democratic presidential nomination in a long and bruising contest.

To clear the way for Clinton to serve as Mr. Obama's top diplomat, officials say her husband - former President Bill Clinton - has agreed to disclose the names of all donors to his foundation. Mr. Clinton is expected to reveal more than 200,000 names in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.

Mr. Clinton will also refuse donations from foreign governments to his charity - the Clinton Global Initiative.

Officials say the former president has also agreed not to hold CGI meetings overseas and submit his speaking schedule and information about his business activities for review.

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Kabul Suicide Blast Kills 2 Civilians Near Parliament

Afghan officials say a suicide bomb has killed at least two civilians and wounded several others in an attack that appeared to have been directed at a German Embassy officials. VOA's Barry Newhouse has this report from the Afghan capital.

A German security man stands guard after a suicide attack on a German Embassy vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, 30 Nov. 2008

The attack occurred near Afghanistan's parliament Sunday afternoon, close to a Toyota Landcruiser carrying a group of foreigners.

Witnesses said the bomber was on foot when he tiggered the blast. Mohammedajan, a young bicycle repairman, was working nearby at the time of the explosion.

He says I was talking to one of my friends when the blast occurred. After it, he says we flattened ourselves against the ground until the police came.

Afghanistan's parliament is a heavily guarded compound ringed by tall blast walls. The explosion took place some 200 meters away, near a high school and a convoy of NATO troops.

Kabul's police chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi said those killed were civilians.

He says the bomber was targeting a German embassy vehicle. He says none of the officials were wounded in the attack.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned the blast and expressed his condolences to the victims. The suicide bombing is the second in Kabul since Thursday, when a car bomb blast killed four people and wounded some 20 others outside the U.S. embassy.

Afghanistan has experienced a surge in Taliban attacks this year. But in Kabul in recent months, locals have expressed as much concern over a rise in criminal activity as terrorist attacks. For-profit kidnappings, robberies and car-jackings have plagued Afghan businessmen. Kidnappers have also targeted foreigners.

Taliban spokesmen have denied responsibility for many of the crimes, but on Sunday, Kabul's police chief told reporters there is solid evidence of links between some of the capital's criminal gangs and Taliban militants.

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Ethnic Clashes Kill 17 in Pakistan

Pakistani fire fighters struggle to extinguish a fire torched by rioters at a timber market in Karachi, Pakistan, 30 Nov 2008

At least 17 people have been reported killed and more than 60 hurt in clashes between rival ethnic and political groups in the Pakistani city of Karachi over the past two days.

Security forces are patrolling Karachi Sunday to prevent further violence between members of a political party that represents Urdu speakers, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and another that represents Pashtuns, Awami National Party. Troops have been given orders to use their guns if necessary.

Since Saturday, angry mobs have rampaged in parts of the city, firing guns and setting fire to cars.

Today in northwest Pakistan, police say militants attacked a security post in the town of Bannu, close to the Afghan border, killing three police. Three militants were killed in the fighting.

In nearby Lakki Marwat, another three policemen were killed when Taliban insurgents launched rockets at a security checkpoint.

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US Investigators in India for Terror Probe

A U.S. diplomatic source says a team of U.S. officials has arrived in India to help the government investigate the terror attacks in Mumbai.

The U.S. government has not released information about the team or which agencies are taking part in the investigation.

U.S. President George Bush offered India the country's full support in probing the attacks, which left about 175 people dead, including at least five Americans.

Mr. Bush said Saturday the people of India can count on the United States to stand by them.

The president described the attackers as "brutal and violent" and said "terror will not have the final word." Mr. Bush said the people of India are resilient and strong, and he expressed optimism that India would withstand this trial.

Mr. Bush held a video-teleconference with U.S. diplomats in India Saturday, and he said his administration is keeping President-elect Barack Obama informed about the situation.

Mr. Obama spoke by phone Saturday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert advising U.S. citizens to be vigilant while in India. The alert says Americans should try to keep a low profile in addition to avoiding crowds and demonstrations.

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Indian Home Minister Submits Resignation Following Mumbai Attacks

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The political fallout from the Mumbai terror attack is beginning to take its toll on the administration of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. As Mr. Singh convened an all-party meeting to discuss security, his home minister submitted his resignation. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi.

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil, left, and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, right, look on during a Congress Working Committee meeting on the Mumbai terrorist attack, in New Delhi, 29 Nov 2008

India's home minister resigned Sunday - the first political casualty after the unprecedented terror attack on the country's commercial capital.

Even before Mumbai was attacked, Home minister Shivraj Patil had been a target of opposition parties for his allegedly poor performance as the cabinet member tasked with domestic security. He is to be replaced by the respected finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to takeover the finance portfolio.

A senior leader of the opposition BJP party, Arun Jaitley, says the resignation of the home minister will not be enough to address the government's security failures.

"This government has no moral right to survive now," Jaitley said. "It is this weak policy of this government where the entire intelligence network had collapsed, the security responses were poor, the legal framework dealing with terrorism is non-existent. I think the prime minister must address the right questions, he'll find the right answers."

Some of India's major media outlets are blasting the political establishment. The Times of India published a front page comment in its Sunday edition titled "Our politicians fiddle as innocents die." A Hindustan Times columnist blasted what he called incompetent politicians for using "terrorism as an excuse to win votes."

Television news channels criticized politicians for showing up at the scene of the terror attacks to make public comments while commandos were still battling the gunmen.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress Party, which heads the governing coalition, defends the administration, saying it is taking matters seriously.

"It's a very serious issue for the nation that is being grappled with at the highest levels," Singhvi said.

The political fallout began as Prime Minister Singh convened an all-party meeting Sunday afternoon to discuss security and attempt to avoid the Mumbai terror attacks leading to political upheaval and possibly sparking communal violence between Hindus and Muslims.

Islamic terrorists are blamed for the nearly 60-hour siege of Mumbai which left about 175 people dead, including 18 foreigners, at ten locations.

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Henry Loomis, 1919-2008: Director of VOA Had Idea to Create Special English

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the research scientist and broadcasting leader Henry Loomis. Mister Loomis held many interesting communications positions over his long career.

He served as director of the Voice of America for seven years starting in nineteen fifty-eight. Mister Loomis played an important role in creating the Special English service.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis was born in nineteen nineteen in Tuxedo Park, New York. His father was Alfred Lee Loomis, a wealthy New York City businessman. Unlike many businessmen at the time, Alfred Loomis protected his wealth during the financial crash of nineteen twenty-nine. He later withdrew from the world of business in order to spend more time working as a scientist.

Henry Loomis and his brothers Lee and Farney grew up spending time in the private laboratory their father built. This scientific background and the people who worked with his father would have a big influence on Henry's life. Alfred Loomis taught traditional values to his sons and stressed the importance of education and hard work.

VOICE TWO:

Alfred Loomis invited the top scientists in the world to his Loomis Laboratory, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi and Niels Bohr.

Alfred Loomis and members of his lab team made important discoveries and inventions. They studied many subjects, including the measurement of time, or chronometry, and electroencephalography, or the measurement of electrical activity produced by the brain. Henry Loomis even took part in his father's experiments on measuring brain activity.

VOICE ONE:

In an interview six years ago, Henry Loomis remembered an experiment he took part in when he was about seventeen years old. Henry slept in a sound-proof room with electrode devices attached to his head. Alfred Loomis was nearby with a microphone device. He told his son in a soft voice that Henry's favorite object, his boat, was on fire. Henry Loomis jumped out of bed to save the boat. This experiment and others helped Alfred Loomis show how emotional upset could change human brain waves.

Alfred Loomis later helped open the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Radiation Laboratory. His work helping to develop the new technology of radar would be used by the United States and Britain to defeat Germany during World War Two.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Henry Stimson was related to the Loomis family. He was also an advisor and close friend. Among other positions, Mister Stimson had served as secretary of state under President Herbert Hoover. He told Henry Loomis that he and his brothers were very lucky in life and that they should serve their country as a way to give thanks. Henry Loomis took these words very seriously.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen forty, Henry Loomis dropped out of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts to join the United States Navy. He was able to put to good use his knowledge of radar technology that he had learned about because of his father's work. After graduating at the top in his naval training class, Henry Loomis became a teacher at the Navy's radar training school in Hawaii. In December of nineteen forty-one, Japan bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This event marked the United States' official entry in World War Two.

VOICE TWO:

By the end of the war, Henry Loomis had received many honors for his service, including a Bronze Star and an Air Medal. He left the Navy in nineteen forty-six to begin graduate studies.

That year, he married his first wife, Mary Paul MacLeod. Mister Loomis studied physics at the University of California at Berkeley. He worked as an assistant to Ernest Lawrence, the director of the university's radiation laboratory. Mister Lawrence had won the Nobel Prize in nineteen thirty-nine for his work in nuclear physics.

Henry Loomis

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis later moved to Washington, D.C. to begin another stage of his career in public service. He held positions in the Department of Defense and other agencies. Mister Loomis also directed the Office of Intelligence and Research at the United States Information Agency. In nineteen fifty-eight, he became director of the Voice of America under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

VOICE TWO:

During his travels around the world, Mister Loomis saw that English was becoming an important international language. He believed that it was important to make English easier to understand by listeners of VOA broadcasts whose native language was not English. So Mister Loomis asked VOA program manager Barry Zorthian to develop a way to broadcast to listeners with a limited knowledge of English.

VOICE ONE:

The result of this effort was Special English. The first Voice of America broadcast in Special English took place on October nineteenth, nineteen fifty-nine. Critics at the time said the Special English method of broadcasting at a slower rate with a limited vocabulary would never work. American embassies demanded that the program be cancelled. But Mister Loomis supported the program.

Soon, VOA began to receive hundreds of letters from listeners praising the program. Special English programs became some of the most popular on VOA. We are pleased to say that our programs still are.

An early VOA newsroom

VOICE TWO:

Henry Loomis made other important improvements at VOA. He expanded VOA's broadcasting ability by setting up transmitter devices in countries including Liberia and the Philippines. He also decided that VOA needed a charter document to make its goals and rules clear. Such a charter would also officially state VOA's independence from other government programs. The charter states that VOA has to win the attention and respect of its listeners.

It lists VOA's goals: to produce correct, balanced and expansive broadcasts. And to show the many sides of America's society, thoughts and organizations. President Eisenhower approved the charter before he left office. It was later signed into law by President Ford in nineteen seventy-six.

Henry Loomis compared the VOA charter to the United States Constitution. He said he believed the charter represented the realities of the world and the moral code of the country.

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis resigned from VOA in nineteen sixty-five over disagreements with the government about how to report on America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Mister Loomis believed VOA should report about the war honestly, without censorship from the Administration of President Lyndon Johnson. He gave a farewell speech at VOA headquarters in which he talked about his time working here.

HENRY LOOMIS: "How has the Voice changed in these seven years? In my judgment, the most important changes are the codification of the mission of VOA in our charter…"

VOICE ONE:

Mister Loomis also talked about program changes he helped make.

HENRY LOOMIS: "English broadcasts have been tripled and diversified. A new language, Special English, has been created to reach those with limited knowledge of, and a desire to learn, the language."

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis said that he believed VOA serves the world poorly if it is asked to change its news and programs to serve government policy interests.

HENRY LOOMIS: "I believe VOA serves the national interest well if it reflects responsibly, affirmatively and without self-consciousness that ours is a society of free men who practice what they preach. To do this effectively, we must do it at all times. Freedom is not a part-time thing."

VOICE ONE:

Mister Loomis talked about government control of the press for political reasons.

HENRY LOOMIS: "To sweep under the rug what we don't like, what does not serve our tactical purpose, is a sign of weakness."

VOICE ONE:

But he said that to recognize forces and opinions that disagree with government policies is a sign of strength. At the end of his speech, Mister Loomis said goodbye to VOA workers.

HENRY LOOMIS: "It has been a privilege to have served with you, to have learned from you, to have had fun with you."

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen seventy-two, Henry Loomis became president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This organization was created by Congress to provide money for public television stations. Around this time he married his second wife, Jacqueline Chalmers. Mister Loomis later retired to private life. He remained active in his favorite sports -- sailing and hunting.

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis died in two thousand eight in Jacksonville, Florida. He was eighty-nine years old. He had a life-long career of valuable service in science and communications.

And we honor him with a special thank you for helping to make this and other Special English programs possible.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. You can learn more about famous Americans on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

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Romania Holds Parliamentary Elections

Women walk in front of electoral posters downtown Bucharest, Romania a day before the country holds parliamentary elections

Romanian voters go to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament amid fears that the global economic crisis could cost them thousand of jobs and force painful austerity measures.

Latest opinion polls show a close race between two opposition parties -- the former communist Social Democrats and centrist Liberal Democrats, with about 30 percent support each.

The governing Liberal Party of Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu is lagging behind with about 20 percent support.

It appears unlikely that any party will receive a majority in the elections, forcing another coalition government.

Voting stations open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT). Turnout is expected to be low with many voters, disappointed by slow reforms, taking advantage of a long holiday weekend.

Romania has enjoyed annual economic growth of at least eight percent in recent years. But the global economic downturn has caused major companies such as French-Romanian carmaker Renault Dacia and steel maker Arcelor Mittal to suspend production in the east European country.

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Pakistan Withdraws Pledge to Send Spy Chief to India

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Pakistan has urged India to lower bilateral tensions that are running high over Indian allegations that the terrorists behind Mumbai's deadly assaults have links with Pakistani extremist groups. The Pakistani foreign minister has reiterated his country stands ready to help New Delhi investigate the violence and will move against any local group in Pakistan if India produced solid evidence. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.

Indian leaders have blamed Pakistan-based Islamic groups for planning this week's coordinated attacks in the country's commercial capital of Mumbai. Pakistan has condemned the assault as a "barbaric act" and has denied the Indian allegations.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaks during a press conference in Islamabad, 29 Nov 2008

Speaking after an emergency Cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi urged India to establish evidence before pointing fingers at Pakistan. But he acknowledged the Mumbai violence has raised bilateral tensions.

"Let us not fool ourselves," said Qureshi. "It is a serious situation when the people in India feel this is 9/11 for India. It is, I think, in Pakistan's interest and in India's interest to defuse the situation. Lowering of tension is essential."

Elements within Pakistan's top spy agency, the Inter-Services-Intelligence or ISI, are accused of having links to extremist groups suspected in the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistani leaders have vowed to cooperate with India in fighting terrorism and finding those behind the attacks on the Indian commercial capital. But on Saturday Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani withdrew a pledge to send the ISI chief to India to share information with Indian investigators.

Foreign Minister Qureshi dismissed suggestions his country has gone back on its commitment and said Pakistan will move against any individual or group if India offered evidence linking them to the Mumbai carnage.

"If they have information if they have evidence they should share it with us," he said. "As far as the government of Pakistan is concerned, terrorism is terrorism. And we do not qualify it nor do we differentiate between organizations. Any entity or group involved in this ghastly act, the government of Pakistan will proceed against it."

Mr. Qureshi reiterated that terrorism is a common enemy and India should not jump to conclusions. He said that Pakistan is a vital partner in the global war against terrorism and the policy has provoked extremists to kill Pakistani security forces and civilians by carrying out suicide bombings and other attacks across the country.

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Bush Offers Condolences, Full Support to India

U.S. President George Bush is extending condolences to the Indian people, and his support to the Indian government, after a three-day terrorist siege in Mumbai that killed almost 200 people. VOA's Kent Klein reports from Washington.

President George W. Bush makes a statement on the attacks in Mumbai, on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, 29 Nov 2008

President Bush made a brief statement Saturday as he returned to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat, where he and Mrs. Bush had spent the Thanksgiving holiday. "We pledge the full support of the United States as India investigates these attacks, brings the guilty to justice and sustained its democratic way of life," he said.

Mr. Bush said his administration has been monitoring the situation in India closely since the attacks began in Mumbai on Wednesday. He held a videoconference Saturday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford and other national security officials. Earlier in the week, the president called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send his support and condolences.

Mr. Bush said Saturday he is confident that the people of Mumbai and India will persevere in the face of this tragedy. "The killers who struck this week are brutal and violent, but terror will not have the final word. People of India are resilient. People of India are strong. They have built a vibrant, multiethnic democracy that can withstand this trial," he said.

The president assured Mr. Singh and the Indian people of continuing support from Washington. "As the people of the world's largest democracy recover from these attacks, they can count on the world's oldest democracy to stand by their side," he said.

President Bush said White House officials are working to ensure that Americans in India are safe.

Mr. Bush also said his administration was keeping President-elect Barack Obama informed on the situation. Mr. Obama called Prime Minister Singh on Friday to express his condolences on the tragedy. The incoming leader said the United States has one president at a time, but promised that he will watch developments closely. He also discussed the situation with Secretary of State Rice earlier in the week.

The President-elect is expected to announce his national security team in the coming days. Mr. Obama is reported to have chosen Senator Hillary Clinton, his former rival for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, as Secretary of State. The new national security team is also said to include retired Marine Corps Commandant James Jones as national security adviser, and President Bush's Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, remaining in that position.

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Henry Loomis, 1919-2008: Director of VOA Had the Idea to Create Special English

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the research scientist and broadcasting leader Henry Loomis. Mister Loomis held many interesting communications positions over his long career.

He served as director of the Voice of America for seven years starting in nineteen fifty-eight. Mister Loomis played an important role in creating the Special English service.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis was born in nineteen nineteen in Tuxedo Park, New York. His father was Alfred Lee Loomis, a wealthy New York City businessman. Unlike many businessmen at the time, Alfred Loomis protected his wealth during the financial crash of nineteen twenty-nine. He later withdrew from the world of business in order to spend more time working as a scientist.

Henry Loomis and his brothers Lee and Farney grew up spending time in the private laboratory their father built. This scientific background and the people who worked with his father would have a big influence on Henry's life. Alfred Loomis taught traditional values to his sons and stressed the importance of education and hard work.

VOICE TWO:

Alfred Loomis invited the top scientists in the world to his Loomis Laboratory, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi and Niels Bohr.

Alfred Loomis and members of his lab team made important discoveries and inventions. They studied many subjects, including the measurement of time, or chronometry, and electroencephalography, or the measurement of electrical activity produced by the brain. Henry Loomis even took part in his father's experiments on measuring brain activity.

VOICE ONE:

In an interview six years ago, Henry Loomis remembered an experiment he took part in when he was about seventeen years old. Henry slept in a sound-proof room with electrode devices attached to his head. Alfred Loomis was nearby with a microphone device. He told his son in a soft voice that Henry's favorite object, his boat, was on fire. Henry Loomis jumped out of bed to save the boat. This experiment and others helped Alfred Loomis show how emotional upset could change human brain waves.

Alfred Loomis later helped open the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Radiation Laboratory. His work helping to develop the new technology of radar would be used by the United States and Britain to defeat Germany during World War Two.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Henry Stimson was related to the Loomis family. He was also an advisor and close friend. Among other positions, Mister Stimson had served as secretary of state under President Herbert Hoover. He told Henry Loomis that he and his brothers were very lucky in life and that they should serve their country as a way to give thanks. Henry Loomis took these words very seriously.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen forty, Henry Loomis dropped out of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts to join the United States Navy. He was able to put to good use his knowledge of radar technology that he had learned about because of his father's work. After graduating at the top in his naval training class, Henry Loomis became a teacher at the Navy's radar training school in Hawaii. In December of nineteen forty-one, Japan bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This event marked the United States' official entry in World War Two.

VOICE TWO:

By the end of the war, Henry Loomis had received many honors for his service, including a Bronze Star and an Air Medal. He left the Navy in nineteen forty-six to begin graduate studies.

That year, he married his first wife, Mary Paul MacLeod. Mister Loomis studied physics at the University of California at Berkeley. He worked as an assistant to Ernest Lawrence, the director of the university's radiation laboratory. Mister Lawrence had won the Nobel Prize in nineteen thirty-nine for his work in nuclear physics.

Henry Loomis

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis later moved to Washington, D.C. to begin another stage of his career in public service. He held positions in the Department of Defense and other agencies. Mister Loomis also directed the Office of Intelligence and Research at the United States Information Agency. In nineteen fifty-eight, he became director of the Voice of America under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

VOICE TWO:

During his travels around the world, Mister Loomis saw that English was becoming an important international language. He believed that it was important to make English easier to understand by listeners of VOA broadcasts whose native language was not English. So Mister Loomis asked VOA program manager Barry Zorthian to develop a way to broadcast to listeners with a limited knowledge of English.

VOICE ONE:

The result of this effort was Special English. The first Voice of America broadcast in Special English took place on October nineteenth, nineteen fifty-nine. Critics at the time said the Special English method of broadcasting at a slower rate with a limited vocabulary would never work. American embassies demanded that the program be cancelled. But Mister Loomis supported the program.

Soon, VOA began to receive hundreds of letters from listeners praising the program. Special English programs became some of the most popular on VOA. We are pleased to say that our programs still are.

An early VOA newsroom

VOICE TWO:

Henry Loomis made other important improvements at VOA. He expanded VOA's broadcasting ability by setting up transmitter devices in countries including Liberia and the Philippines. He also decided that VOA needed a charter document to make its goals and rules clear. Such a charter would also officially state VOA's independence from other government programs. The charter states that VOA has to win the attention and respect of its listeners.

It lists VOA's goals: to produce correct, balanced and expansive broadcasts. And to show the many sides of America's society, thoughts and organizations. President Eisenhower approved the charter before he left office. It was later signed into law by President Ford in nineteen seventy-six.

Henry Loomis compared the VOA charter to the United States Constitution. He said he believed the charter represented the realities of the world and the moral code of the country.

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis resigned from VOA in nineteen sixty-five over disagreements with the government about how to report on America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Mister Loomis believed VOA should report about the war honestly, without censorship from the Administration of President Lyndon Johnson. He gave a farewell speech at VOA headquarters in which he talked about his time working here.

HENRY LOOMIS: "How has the Voice changed in these seven years? In my judgment, the most important changes are the codification of the mission of VOA in our charter…"

VOICE ONE:

Mister Loomis also talked about program changes he helped make.

HENRY LOOMIS: "English broadcasts have been tripled and diversified. A new language, Special English, has been created to reach those with limited knowledge of, and a desire to learn, the language."

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis said that he believed VOA serves the world poorly if it is asked to change its news and programs to serve government policy interests.

HENRY LOOMIS: "I believe VOA serves the national interest well if it reflects responsibly, affirmatively and without self-consciousness that ours is a society of free men who practice what they preach. To do this effectively, we must do it at all times. Freedom is not a part-time thing."

VOICE ONE:

Mister Loomis talked about government control of the press for political reasons.

HENRY LOOMIS: "To sweep under the rug what we don't like, what does not serve our tactical purpose, is a sign of weakness."

VOICE ONE:

But he said that to recognize forces and opinions that disagree with government policies is a sign of strength. At the end of his speech, Mister Loomis said goodbye to VOA workers.

HENRY LOOMIS: "It has been a privilege to have served with you, to have learned from you, to have had fun with you."

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen seventy-two, Henry Loomis became president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This organization was created by Congress to provide money for public television stations. Around this time he married his second wife, Jacqueline Chalmers. Mister Loomis later retired to private life. He remained active in his favorite sports -- sailing and hunting.

VOICE ONE:

Henry Loomis died in two thousand eight in Jacksonville, Florida. He was eighty-nine years old. He had a life-long career of valuable service in science and communications.

And we honor him with a special thank you for helping to make this and other Special English programs possible.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. You can learn more about famous Americans on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

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Indian PM Calls High-Level Meetings in Wake of Mumbai Attacks

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India's prime minister Saturday called together the country's top military and intelligence chiefs. Officials say he wanted details on the Mumbai terrorist attacks and the responsive actions being taken. In New Delhi, VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports the government is finding itself under immediate pressure to show its resolve amid political criticism.

On the day local elections were held in New Delhi, with polling underway in five other states and Mumbai counting bodies from the terror attack, top government officials huddled in the capital.

Professor Brahma Chellaney

An Indian academic security specialist predicts little will result from the high-level meetings. Brahma Chellaney of the Center for Policy Research believes Indians have become accustomed to terrorism. He says officials lack the political will to make fundamental changes, even after this attack, which he considers the worst since September, 2001.

"Just the way people here have come to accept corruption they've come to accept a high level of terrorism," said Chellaney. "It's like a part of life. This is a kind of attitude which you will not see in most other parts of the world. This is a terrorist siege of India. This is the whole country being held hostage again and again by small bands of terrorists who obviously have the backing of some important actors outside."

Opposition politicians are wasting no time portraying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his allies as soft. Some of the political voices on the right also emphasize Pakistan and Islamic extremists as culprits, threatening to worsen tensions between India's majority Hindu and minority Muslim communities.

BJP party newspaper ad

The nationalist BJP party, for example, in Friday newspapers, ran front-page advertisements illustrated with bloody graphics. It called the government weak, unwilling and incapable of fighting terror. India's science minister, speaking on behalf of the governing coalition's top party, Congress, called the ads "a matter of national shame."

Some television news channels have been running scrolling commentary from viewers calling for revenge against the culprits and demanding harsher security measures.

Strategic studies professor Brahma Chellaney tells VOA News the government has resisted tougher relevant laws, fearing their misuse.

"There's a big political controversy in India about counter-terror laws,"he said. "I don't like special laws for the purpose of combating terrorism. But the reality is when you are under siege you need certain laws that will speedily bring perpetrators to justice."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Singh wants a new federal investigation agency to combat terror. But that is being resisted by the states.

The states have been criticized for a lack of cooperation among themselves and with the federal government in terror probes. Rivalries among numerous state and national agencies tasked with law enforcement, border security and intelligence gathering have also stymied past investigations.

The prime minister met with military and intelligence chiefs as commandos still were going room to room in the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel to secure the damaged Mumbai landmark.

Notably the man in charge of domestic security, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, was not present. Opposition leaders have been calling for his ouster for his alleged weak response to terrorist bombings even before the Mumbai attacks.

Patil also convened his own meeting of top officials of various military forces and law enforcement agencies.

The Home Ministry's special secretary for internal security, M.L. Kumawat, says one immediate change after the Mumbai attacks will be improved surveillance of India's 8,000 kilometers of coastline.

"It was decided that there's a need to have better coordination between the navy, coast guard and police by an institutional mechanism and further upgrade coastal security as expeditiously as possible," he said.

Some of the terrorists used boats to infiltrate Mumbai's Colaba coast.

Prime Minister Singh has also called for all political party leaders to meet Sunday in the capital to discuss the attack, which has shocked the nation and prompted calls for a clear and quick response.

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Similarities, but Also Big Differences, Between Today's Crisis and 1930s

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

What began more than a year ago is often described as "the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." The downturn is bad, but it would have to get much worse to compare to the nineteen thirties.

In 1932, jobless and homeless men wait to get a free dinner at New York's municipal lodging house during the Great Depression

Next October will mark the eightieth anniversary of what is generally considered the beginnings of the Depression.

In just two days the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost twenty-five percent of its value. The stock market continued to drop until July of nineteen thirty-two. By then, the Dow was about ninety percent below its high reached in September of nineteen twenty-nine.

The Dow hit its all-time high in October of last year. Since last year the Dow has lost about forty percent of its value -- even more for the Standard & Poor's index of five hundred stocks.

Like the Depression, the current crisis also involves falling property values. American housing prices fell by almost seventeen percent in the twelve months that ended in September.

Housing economist Robert Shiller at Yale University has found that home prices fell by about thirty percent during the Depression. Then, as now, many people lost their homes because they could not pay their mortgage loans.

Today people borrow much more of the value of their homes than they used to. In fact, Professor Shiller estimates that ten million Americans owe more than their home is worth.

An estimated nine thousand banks failed during the Depression. Agencies that guarantee savings and supervise the financial system did not exist at the start. When banks failed, people lost everything. Fear of bank failures led people to withdraw their money, leading to more failures.

In nineteen thirty-three, Congress established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It currently guarantees bank deposits up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

Just twenty-two banks have failed this year. But among them was Washington Mutual, the biggest bank collapse in American history.

Possibly the best measure of an economic crisis is unemployment. The rate in October was reported at a fourteen-year high of six and one-half percent. Some think it could reach eight percent or higher. During the Depression, however, one of every four workers was unemployed.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt at his desk at the White House in 1933

President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress established agencies to employ people in public works. Yet employment did not completely recover until World War Two.

Policy mistakes increased the effects of the Depression. For example, the Federal Reserve let the money supply shrink. This meant there was less money available for lending to people and businesses.

In the current crisis, the government has been willing to spend freely; too freely for some critics. On Tuesday the Federal Reserve and the Treasury announced a new plan to provide eight hundred billion dollars to increase credit availability.

Before the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, the Dow and the S&P rose four days in a row for the first time in months.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

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Troops Deployed to Stop Fighting in Central Nigeria

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Government troops have been called in to deal with spreading religious violence in the central Nigerian Plateau state. Dozens are feared dead and several houses have been destroyed. Residents are appealing for help as the government imposed a nighttime curfew on the central Nigerian city of Jos. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports from Abuja.

Residents of Tudun Wada, on the outskirt of Jos, the capital of Plateau state, said it had been a bloody day as gunfire and explosions rattled around the region.

A Muslim resident of Tudun Wada, Abdullahi Mohammed, said the minority Muslim community is under siege and appealed for urgent help.

"We don't know what will happen in Tudun Wada," he said. "The whole area will be ablaze. We don't have anything to defend ourselves. We don't have anything to eat. As I'm speaking to you, they just killed my younger brother. They shot him dead. We need government to pull out our children and women out of the area so that whatever will happen let it happen. The situation is terribly bad. Please we need a helping hand."

The violence was reportedly triggered by a disputed vote for a new local government chairman in Jos North, the commercial center of Plateau state and a key political constituency.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with 140 million people, is roughly equally divided between Muslims and Christians, who generally live peacefully side by side.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo (file)

But hostility has simmered in the past in Plateau state.

Hundreds were killed in ethnic-religious street fighting in Jos in 2001. Three years later, hundreds more died in clashes in the town of Yelwa, leading then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to declare a state of emergency and impose a curfew.

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Pakistan's Gilani to Send Spy Agency Chief to Mumbai

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Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says Indian leaders must not blame his country for this week's deadly terror attacks in Mumbai. And in an unprecedented move, he has agreed to send the chief of Pakistan's top spy agency to India to help investigate the violence. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.

Yousuf Raza Gilani (File)

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani telephoned his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on Friday to tell him that Pakistan wants better relations with India and is ready to fully cooperate to fight terrorism.

He told reporters that Pakistan is not behind the attacks in the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai and condemns such acts of terrorism because Pakistan itself is under attack from extremist forces.

Mr. Gilani says that his Indian counterpart told him that a preliminary investigation has linked attackers to the Pakistani city of Karachi. At the request of the Indian leader, the Pakistani prime minister says he has agreed to send the head of the country's top spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, to India for sharing information.

"He [Prime Minister Singh] said that we have held a preliminary investigation and in preliminary investigation they said there are some indications the [attackers] from Karachi [southern port city of Pakistan]," he said. "We know that Pakistan is not involved but at the same time they wanted cooperation from the ISI. When we are not involved and we have nothing to hide why should we feel guilty about it?"

Indian authorities suspect that extremists belonging to Pakistani militant groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, are behind the attacks in Mumbai. The two outlawed al-Qaida-linked organizations have a long history of launching suicide missions and other attacks against targets in India allegedly with the help of the Pakistani spy agency, the ISI.

But leaders in Islamabad have denied these allegations and say Pakistani security forces are making all possible efforts to discourage militancy.

The country has seen relentless attacks on security forces particularly in Pakistan's northwest and cities across the country. Officials say the violence is meant to discourage the government's anti-terror campaign.

But critics say that elements within the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, may still have links with some of the jihadi groups. Defense analyst Ayesha Siddiqa welcomes the government's decision to send the spy agency's chief to India, saying no militant group at home must be spared.

"I think this is a time that besides [ISI chief] going to India and discussing it with the counterparts there, I think what we need to do at our end is also carry out an investigation and make sure that these groups, which are bothering Pakistan - forget about India or any other country - terribly, should be eliminated," she said.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari also spoke to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday to condemn the attacks in Mumbai and blamed "non-state actors" for the bloodshed.

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US Says 2 Americans Killed in Mumbai Attacks, But Toll Could be Higher

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The State Department says two Americans have been confirmed killed and two others wounded in the Mumbai terrorist attacks and that additional U.S. citizens were still at risk in the Indian financial hub. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is engaged in diplomatic outreach on the attacks. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Smoke emerges from behind a dome on the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, India, 26 Nov 2008

The State Department is confirming that two Americans are among the dead and two others have been wounded in what are described here as "horrendous" acts of terrorism in Mumbai.

But officials suggest the toll could be higher, saying that U.S. citizens were "at risk" at two venues where Indian security operations were still ongoing Friday at the waterfront Taj Mahal Hotel and a Jewish community center.

The State Department did not identify those known dead, but officials did not contest the announcement from a meditation group in Virginia that two of its members - Alan Scherr and his daughter Naomi - had been killed at the Oberoi hotel.

In a talk with reporters, State Department acting spokesman Gordon Duguid said the Mubai attacks have prompted a flurry of U.S. diplomatic activity, with both President Bush and Secretary of State Rice telephoning Indian leaders to offer condolences and U.S. assistance in the investigation.

The spokesman said Rice spoke Thursday with, among others, British Foreign Secrertary David Miliband and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Some Indian officials have suggested neighboring countries and implicitly Pakistan might have been involved in the attacks in some way, though Pakistan denies this.

Spokesman Duguid said the United States has no information on who the Mumbai attackers were and what their motives may have been. He said Rice called President Zardari to discuss the situation in general terms.

"She's calling the Pakistanis simply because she wants to discuss what's happening very near Pakistan's border," he said. "You understand the tensions that have existed in the region, after the [New Delhi] parliamentary attacks of a few years back, 2001 I believe it was. There were very worrying tensions in the region. She was calling the president of Pakistan to get his read on how those tensions might be affected."

Duguid noted that India and Pakistan have already said they intend to cooperate in the investigation of the Mumbai events, and said the United States has always worked for a lessening of tensions between the two South Asian powers.

He said Secretary Rice went to the Camp David retreat to brief President Bush on the situation Friday morning, and has also had two telephone conversations on the attacks with President-elect Barack Obama.

The State Department has sent staff members from its embassy in New Delhi and consulates in Chennai and Kolkata to reinforce the sea-side U.S. Mumbai consulate, which remains open.

U.S. diplomats have been deployed to Mumbai hospitals and the terrorist attack venues to assist Americans in distress. The State Department is advising U.S. citizens to defer travel to Mumbai for the time being.

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India: Mumbai Attackers and Supporters Will Pay Heavy Price

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World leaders are condemning the deadly terror attacks in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai. Assailants armed with grenades and machine guns attacked at least 10 sites throughout Mumbai late Wednesday, killing more than 100 people and wounding about 300. India's prime minister says the perpetrator and supporters of the terror attacks on Mumbai will pay a heavy price. He issued the warning even as commando operations continued at two luxury hotels and a Jewish Center. VOA's Ravi Khanna has more on the story.

President of India Mahmoud Singh

India's leader describes the coordinated attacks as "well-planned and well-orchestrated", saying they probably had "external links." Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared on television.

"We will take up strongly with our neighbors that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated," he said. "And that there will be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them."

He did not name Pakistan but the reference was apparent. Pakistani leaders condemned the attacks. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was visiting India for peace talks at the time of the assault.

"I have come here to build bridges. I have come to say that we have to develop a better understanding. Let's not jump to conclusions. Let us not go in for knee-jerk reactions," Qureshi stated.

President George W. Bush (File photo)

The White House says President Bush called India's prime minister to offer support and condolences. Mr. Bush and President-elect Obama both condemned the attacks and offered any kind of help India needs. Neither appeared on camera Thursday, which is the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

In London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown also offered help. He said empathetically, "I believe that we've got to do everything we can now to help the Indian authorities as they deal with what is a terrorist outrage which has become all too common in their country."

Speaking in Berlin on Thursday Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier denounced the attacks."I got back from India on Saturday morning and I am shocked by the attacks, which we, the German government, strongly condemn," he siad.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said his ministry was in communication with officials in Mumbai. "Our crisis team has been in touch with everyone that we could get a hold of overnight," he said.

President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas

Amid speculation that attackers might be Islamic extremists, there is reaction from the Palestinian Authority. President Mahmoud Abbas also issued a condemnation.

"We pay our condolences to our friends in the Indian government and we strongly condemn this act and all acts of violence in the world no matter in what form. We completely and strongly condemn violence and terror," he said.

As reports center on the possibility that the terrorists sought U.S. and British nationals, the Spanish ambassador to India, lon de La Riva, raised concern that Spaniards might have been targeted in Mumbai.

Spanish Ambassador to India Lon De La Riva

"We of course are in Afghanistan, we have received all kinds of threats," he said with concern. "We are the second country to have lost lives in Afghanistan after the United States, so I wouldn't be surprised if we were targeted on purpose."

Pakistani analyst Zahid Hussein summed up the question looming large in South Asia. "It is quite an alarming situation because it seems that the entire region is now up in flames and has become the target of terrorist attacks, from Afghanistan to Pakistan and now India," he said.

A previously unknown group Deccan Mujahedin has claimed responsibility for the attacks. It is not clear if the claim is credible. Terrorism experts say the group claiming credit could be a front for one of the larger terrorist groups that have carried attacks in India in the past.

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Sporadic Gunfire, Bomb Blasts as Mumbai Siege Continues

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Clashes between Indian security forces and the remaining terrorists that launched a multi pronged assault on Mumbai continued into the night as authorities slowly
regained control of the city . Raymond Thibodeaux has this report from Mumbai where explosions and gunfire rocked the city for a third day.

The southern tip of Mumbai, the heart of the city's tourist district, was turned into a battle zone as police tried to capture or kill the last of the terrorists.

Indian soldiers aim a grenade launcher at part of the facade of the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai,28 Nov 2008

At the historic Taj hotel in the southern tip of the city late Friday, the air was filled with the sound of grenades, sporadic machine-gun fire and helicopters hovering overhead. Indian special forces went room to room in an effort to end the three-day siege by militants who rampaged through the streets of Mumbai and took hostages in two posh Mumbai hotels and at a Jewish community center.

By late afternoon, Indian commandos had freed another six hostages, who were escorted to the back of the Taj into a waiting ambulance. None of them appeared to be injured, just shaken up and hungry after more than two days with almost no food.

Indian security forces so far have freed at least 200 hostages at the Taj. It is still unclear how many gunmen were involved in the assualt on the building.

Security officials have confirmed that several foreigners were killed and more than 20 injured. It is known that among the dead: three Germans, one Japanese, one Canadian and one Australian.

Firefighters and ambulances were rushed to the Taj late Friday as a fresh column of smoke could be seen rising from the luxury hotel's roof.

Four bystanders were hit by gunfire near the front of the Taj where many journalists have gathered to cover the siege. One of those injured was a journalist for the French Press Agency.

An Indian commando comes down a rope to reach the top of Nariman House, 28 Nov 2008

Elsewhere in the city, loud blasts and sporadic gunfire erupted at the Nariman House as Indian security forces worked to end the hostage standoff at a Jewish outreach center. A security official told Indian television that commandoes found bodies of what are believed to be terrorists and hostages in the center.

With Mumbai as the financial gateway to India, many of the hostages that had been held at the luxury hotels were in India on business.

As the siege began, many of their companies apparently called in crisis consultants like Sanjay Vaswani to help the hostages through their ordeal and upon their eventual release. He declined to give the name of the company that had called him in.

"The eight people we were in charge of were glad to be out. It showed in their faces they were tired," he said.

So far, it is unclear exactly how many people have been killed since the coordinated attacks began but authorities said the number is believed to be at least 140 and could go higher once security forces are able to slowly go through the devastated buildings where the fighting took place.

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Mumbai Mourns After Deadly Terror Attack

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Police in Mumbai continue sifting through the wreckage left by the deadly terror attack that left more than 100 people dead and hundreds of others injured. Shocked residents and tourists at the city's luxury hotels watched in horror as the scene unfolded, many of them trapped by the fighting between police and the gunmen. Raymond Thibodeaux has this report from Mumbai.

Schoolchildren pay tribute to the victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks in Ahmadabad, 27 Nov 2008

It was a day of funerals for many of those killed in one of the city's most brazen terrorist attacks. One funeral was for Shashank Shinde, a senior police inspector killed by a gunman at the city's Central Railway Station early Wednesday night. He is one of at least 12 police officers killed in the terror attacks, one of the deadliest days for Mumbai's police force.

Sanjive Piwandakar was a close friend of the slain officer.

"I'm feeling very … I can't express it. I am angry and I have lost one of my closest friends. To me he was like a godfather," he said

The funeral procession leads down a normally busy street. Like Piwandakar, the city of Mumbai appears to be in a state of shock after a night of violence. The attackers targeted the symbols of modern India. Its posh hotels, a café, and a busy train station where there are usually high concentrations of foreigners.

The wave of attacks that began Wednesday night have virtually shut down much of the city. Now, the streets are relatively empty. Many businesses are closed for the day. Mumbai, known as the Maximum City, partly for its constant rush of traffic and noise, is mostly quiet.

Police in flak jackets are patrolling the districts hit by the violence.

Indian commandos take positions close to where Jewish families have been taken hostage in Mumbai, 27 Nov 2008

Crowds gathered near a Jewish outreach center in the heart of Mumbai early Thursday, where police commandos and Indian army troops worked to end a hostage crisis in which at least three gunmen were holding captive about six Israeli tourists.

Nearby is the crumpled wreckage of several cars and motorcycles from grenade attacks earlier in the night.

Sanjay Kokate, 35, is a local resident. He was one of the first eyewitnesses as attackers took control of the Jewish outreach center late Wednesday night. He said gunmen opened-fire into a nearby building, killing several residents.

"After one hour or so the cops came. But after that they [the gunmen] kept firing. They fired into the opposite building. So some people in that building died. An old woman and some children. We took out some of the bodies at night," he said.

Little is known about the Deccan Mujahideen, the group that has taken responsibility for the attacks. Some experts said they are linked to the Indian Mujahideen, an Islamist terror group that has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks against civilians in India.

V.N. Athawalla is a police commander posted at the J.J. Hospital in central Mumbai, where many of the injured were taken.

He said these attacks were some of the most violent he's seen in Mumbai. Shooting and bomb blasts have happened before, but this was groups of terrorists firing at people in the streets. They were firing indiscriminately, trying to kill as many people as they could. This hasn't been seen in Mumbai before, he said.

India has been rocked by several terrorist attacks in recent months.

For now, many here worry that anger might set in once the shock of the attacks wears off. The possibility of communal violence is on the minds of many people across the country.

But as one man at Shinde's funeral said: "The way to honor those who were killed in the attacks is to try to carry on normally."

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More and More Americans Bike Their Way to Work

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. This week:

We listen to a new album from Darius Rucker …

Answer a listener question about vegetarians …

And tell about people who ride their bicycles to work.

(MUSIC)

Biking to Work

HOST:

More Americans than ever are riding their bicycles to work instead of driving. They are doing this because of gas prices, a slowing economy and concerns about the environment. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Many Americans have been leaving their cars at home and riding to work on bicycles. Andy Clark is the executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. His group supports bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.

Mister Clark says this is good news for the environment. He says riding a bicycle to work does not burn fossil fuel or create dangerous pollutants. Experts say the effects are the most important on short trips. The Department of Transportation says fifty percent of Americans drive eight kilometers or fewer to work. Shorter car trips release more pollution into the air for each kilometer driven. This is because the device in a car engine that reduces the harmfulness of emissions needs to warm up before it can work well.

Members of Congress have supported bicycling as environmentally friendly transportation. For example, Minnesota Representative James Oberstar is a strong supporter of bicycle use. He says cities, counties, state governments and state highway transportation agencies are planning the roadways of the future. They are creating roads and paths for bicycles in cities and between communities.

Andrew Land riding his bicycle to work in Portland, Oregon

Last year, the Pacific Northwest city of Portland, Oregon, had the highest percentage of bicycle commuters in the United States. Portland has been doing progressive city planning for many years to create special paths for bike riders.

Andrew Land is one of Portland's citizens who bikes to work every day. Mister Land is thirty-three years old and has never owned a car. He has biked to work for twelve years. Before moving to Portland six years ago, he lived in Washington, D.C. But he was hit by a car twice while biking to work there. That has not happened in Portland where there are special roads for bicycles. Mister Land bought a house near these special bike lanes. He rides almost five kilometers to work each day. He also uses the sixty-four kilometer bike path around the city.

Andrew Land rides a cyclocross bike. He says it combines the best parts of a racing bike and a mountain bike. You might say that Andrew Land is "into bikes." He recently attended a show of handmade bicycle frames. It was organized by thirty bicycle frame builders in Portland. And he attended a legal rights workshop for bicyclists.

(MUSIC)

Vegetarians in the U.S.

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from India. K. Jameel Ahmed wants to know about vegetarians in the United States. To answer this question, we first have to describe several ways Americans define a vegetarian diet.

Some vegetarians do not eat any meat products or any food made from animal labor, including milk products, eggs and honey. This kind of diet is called a vegan diet. But most vegetarians include dairy products in their diet and many vegetarians eat eggs. Some people consider themselves partial vegetarians, because they do not eat meat or farm birds, but they do eat fish.

There are many reasons people choose to be vegetarian. Some religions such as Hinduism observe vegetarianism as part of an effort of nonviolence towards animals. Many other people have non-religious moral reasons for not eating meat. They believe that killing farm animals for food is immoral and cruel.

Other vegetarians believe it is more healthful to eat a plant-based diet. The American Dietetic Association says that vegetarians often have lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as lower rates of some kinds of cancer and diabetes.

And some vegetarians reject eating meat for environmental reasons. Some studies show that the industry of raising large farm animals leads to water and air pollution, land damage and climate change.

The Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore, Maryland did a study in two thousand six on the number of vegetarians in the United States. About two point three percent of the adults they questioned said they were vegetarians. Six point seven percent said that they never eat meat. This was a small study, so its results may not be very exact. But earlier studies have also found that about two percent of Americans say they are vegetarians.

However, the American Dietetic Association says interest in vegetarianism is increasing. Organizations like the Vegetarian Resource Group and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals give advice on how to become a vegetarian on their Web sites. PETA also tells how to prepare meat-free food. And it lists messages from famous vegetarians including the actress Alicia Silverstone and the singer Moby.

Food writer Michael Pollan has a more moderate suggestion than total vegetarianism. He says Americans should eat like people did several generations ago. He says they should eat small amounts of natural, well-grown foods that are mostly plants.

(MUSIC)

Darius Rucker

HOST:

Singer Darius Rucker recently released his first country album, "Learn to Live." You might recognize his voice. Rucker is also the lead singer of the popular band Hootie and the Blowfish. Darius Rucker has taken time off from the band to make his own records. Critics are praising his energetic country sound. And one of the songs on the album has made history. Shirley Griffith tells us more.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:

That was the song "Don't Think I Don't Think About It." It is the first number one country music hit by an African American artist in about twenty-five years.

Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker said it was not difficult to make country music after years of writing rock songs. He said Hootie and the Blowfish had always been influenced by country music. He grew up listening to country music in his native South Carolina.

Rucker also said that he did not want to write country songs about drinking alcohol and chasing women. He said he is forty-two years old and his songs are about a man thinking about his life, his relationships, his children and his goals.

Here is the song "While I Still Got the Time."

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Darius Rucker recently finished a performance tour around the United States. He will travel again this winter to play music from his new album. We leave you with the sharp humor of "All I Want."

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HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written by Shelley Gollust and Dana Demange, who was also the producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

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